Comment on Obama expected to defend Manning decision at final news conference

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is expected to defend his decision to shorten the sentence of convicted leaker Chelsea Manning when he holds his final news conference on Wednesday. Obama plans to answer reporters’ questions at the White House, two days before he leaves office. Manning asked Obama last November to commute her 35-year sentence for giving classified government and military documents to the WikiLeaks website. Manning, who was known as Bradley Manning at the time of her arrest, is more than six years into the sentence.